I liked what you said. That must have been a really weird feeling to see that unexpectedly :(

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Love that movie.

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@electricbubbles: Yeah, that's just gross.

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To me, it's inspiring that people can come together over something that is not a tragedy. Yes his death is sad and his later life got really weird, but what we're really coming together over is his body of work as an entertainer, which is positive and inspiring.

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*Not an indictment against this site, which is a celebrity news site after all. It's an indictment those that AREN'T.

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However, his public outpouring is, to my mind, out of proportion. I remember when Elvis died. I remember when John Lennon died. I remember when Johnny Cash died. I could go on and on and on. In my mind, Johnny Cash kicks MJ's ass on talent and impact upon pop-culture and pop music. Hell, I think George Harrison kicks MJ's ass, historically.

The MJ mourning is very MTV-centric which seems silly to me. I was there when MTV was born and I watched it die (suffocated by crap reality TV). I suspect this is a heavily generational media driven example of emotional outpouring (at least in the US and on the TV/net). Perhaps because the media/net is largely represented by people who are stunned that they are mortal b/c MJ died (sorry, but the sarcasm is intended) and this is the very first "big" celebrity death. I don't know.

Now, simply yanking out other artists as comparison doesn't diminish MJ's contributions. But, it does seem to lend a sense of proportion - to me, at least. And I am not telling anyone they can't mourn him- I don't really care. I'm just saying that the nationwide "Princess Di-fest" is too much.(Yeah, I remembered when she died, too. And let me say, her fame was not waning when she died and the world went a little crazy).

He was not the biggest star the world has ever seen. That is false. His level of fame and notoriety for the last 16 years is proof that he was seriously on the wane- at least, in America. (If you are foreign, I'm not being an egocentric American but rather I'm sick of him on my TV and in my face everyday in America. You are welcome to your own headlines and pop culture, etc.)

Finally, the objections to the media frenzy are not narcissistic nor asshattery. I object to the dismissal of the last 16 years as "issues", etc. I refuse to let him off the hook for his personal life and all the gilt-edged remembrances (from journalists -not family & Friends) failing to be evenhanded are beginning to really irritate me. The NY Times obituary even gives shortshrift to the last 16 years.

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As for him not being the biggest music star of all time, it is true that this is somewhat subjective. However, you can't argue with the fact that "Thriller" is (and continues to be) the best-selling album of all time and that people the world over go nuts for the guy. I could be wrong, but I don't think that another musician will come close to the numbers he put up in my lifetime.

And yeah, he became a bizarre freak-show in the 90s and up until his death, but despite that, I still think his music in the 70s and 80s was amazing. I think you can celebrate the guy's music and contributions to the entertainment industry while acknowledging the fact that he was a very sick individual (although the jury is still out on the child molestation charges in my eyes--he totally had inappropriate relationships with those young boys, but I'm not completely convinced that it crossed over to molestation and I'm not sure we'll ever really know).

In any case, I think that at least for now the media is not going to focus so much on the more lurid aspects of his life, although I wouldn't be surprised to see some things come out soon enough. But I think that if people want to mourn for him, they should. I'm moving on now, after a few days of nostalgia and bittersweet memories, but for some people, he was huge and I don't think it's right for other people to denigrate that, just as I don't think it's right for people to mock those who don't feel much one way or the other about MJ's passing.

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Time will tell if Neverland becomes a destination like Graceland or Strawberry Fields. Though, imo, I doubt it.

I think that since so much of this is about the media then I have the right (and to someone who believes as I do) the obligation to object. To my mind, this is less about MJ, as a real person, than it is is about media. This is the viewship #'s of the OJ trial and Princess Di's divorce. This is a cash cow - to the media. Since, so much of this is about money, then why shouldn't I be indignant that it is a public gilding of someone I don't think deserves it.

Public opinion can be shaped and created by the media. I don't feel it is appropriate to gild this lily. And I think calling bullshit on the media is perfectly legitimate.

Again, if you love him, good for you. If you are in mourning, it is your right. I'm not denigrating or mocking anyone BUT MJ and the media. However, I'm commenting on Jezebel. I am not standing outside his parent's house and picketing. I'm not sending e-mails to his friends. Also, I tend to threads that are critical of MJ rather than the "I love him and mourn him" threads. He isn't entitled to universal approval. No one is.

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